All careersEveryday & transport

Amusement & Recreation Attendant

$32,150
median / year
$22,350 – $42,490
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Run rides, games, or attractions, take tickets, keep guests safe, and keep the area clean and moving.

You may also see this posted as: Golf Course Ranger, Recreation Attendant, Ride Operator, Ski Lift Operator, Activities Attendant, Coaster Attendant.

Where you work

Amusement parks, arcades, and recreation sites

The hours

Weekends, evenings, and seasonal peaks

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Sell tickets and collect fees from customers.
  • Provide information about facilities, entertainment options, and rules and regulations.
  • Keep informed of shut-down and emergency evacuation procedures.
  • Direct patrons to rides, seats, or attractions.
  • Monitor activities to ensure adherence to rules and safety procedures, or arrange for the removal of unruly patrons.

Good fit if you like…

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

O*NET job zone 2 of 5

Some preparation—often a high school credential and on-the-job learning—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

DependabilityCooperationOptimismAttention to Detail

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

FacebookMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Word

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$32,150
per year
Hourly median
$15.46
per hour
What most earn
$22,350–$42,490
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~102,400
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+3.4%
About average
Working in the U.S.
397,830
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 1.1% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

No formal credential

Training path: On-the-job training, paid.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Customer serviceSafety awarenessStaminaFriendliness

The honest take

Classic seasonal and part-time work at parks and arcades — good first-job experience, rarely a career by itself.

Standard Occupational Classification 39-3091. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.